It’s Saturday, April 4, 2015. The weather is clear.
This is New York City. After the devastation caused by the Chitauri and the post-war reconstruction, the city looks almost brand new. For more chapters visit novel⟡fire.net
Next to Central Park in Manhattan, in a northern high-rise, there is a floor marked "Psychologist."
"There’s a medical banquet tonight, Lorien. You going?"
The man speaking was Stephen Strange — future Sorcerer Supreme, currently one of the top surgeons in the world. He was addressing a young man who looked younger than him, yet somehow even more handsome.
The young man lounged in a recliner, hands behind his head, eyes on the TV mounted to the wall. He yawned and replied lazily,
His name was Lorien Su. About a year ago, he had transmigrated into this world.
Not only that, he had awakened a system called [Nine-to-Five Work System].
The system’s premise was simple: [As long as you go to work purely for the sake of clocking out, do your job when there’s work, slack off when there’s none, and never work overtime, you’ll receive a reward from the multiverse every day after work!]
Over the past year, he had collected a pile of rewards. Most of them, however, were pretty useless. Things like: [A never-ending bottle of milk tea], [An inexhaustible pack of toilet paper], [A beer mug with infinite refills], [An egg picker that never stops], and so on.
Only one reward was truly extraordinary — [Phoenix Force Fragment].
The Phoenix Force, embodiment of life and emotion in the original universe, wielded the ultimate power of both creation and destruction. It also possessed the highest level of perception and intuition, allowing its wielder to sense all things.
Even with just a single fragment, Lorien could perceive others’ emotions, states of mind, thought patterns, and intentions. He could even sense everything that had happened, was happening, and would happen! Of course, that would require more fragments to reach its full potential.
So far, he had only ever signed in one.
To make the most of his nine-to-five, no-overtime lifestyle, Lorien put that ability to use by becoming a psychologist. Before long, he rose to become the top psychologist in the entire United States.
Along the way, he also befriended Stephen Strange, the man who would one day become the Sorcerer Supreme.
Not only that, but Bruce Banner — the Hulk himself — had once been one of his clients.
After being turned down, Stephen Strange looked a little dejected. But he knew trying to talk Lorien Su into something was pointless. Lorien only went if he wanted to — unless the offer was tempting enough.
Lorien glanced at his watch. Four-thirty in the afternoon.
"In half an hour, I’m off work," he said to Stephen.
To check in for his system’s rewards, it had to be after work. The system never allowed overtime. At five o’clock sharp, he had to leave the office. That was non-negotiable.
Lorien was strict about his working hours — clock out at exactly five, close the door no later than 5:01. Even a single minute over was unacceptable. At that point, you could tell him the Heart of the Universe was in his office and he’d still call it fake.
After work, though, his time was his own. The only reason he wasn’t going to the banquet was simply because he didn’t want to. It would just be a room full of people showing off and flattering each other — dull and pointless. He’d rather go home and play games. Or find a nice spot to watch pretty girls.
With time running short, Stephen thought quickly and turned toward Lorien, who was still watching TV.
"Listen, this isn’t just a banquet — it’s an exchange event. There’ll be senior doctors, their assistant teams, and university groups there."
Nice pitch. But Lorien didn’t even blink.
So what if there were groups? Could they possibly be more appealing than slacking off?
Seeing he still wasn’t biting, Stephen added, "I mean, in those groups there’ll be plenty of college girls and assistants. I’m pretty sure they’d admire you."
He lifted his brows meaningfully at Lorien.
"Well, if you put it that way..."
Lorien checked his watch again, then picked up his completely blank itinerary and glanced at it.
"Looks like I’m free tonight," he said with a grin.
Stephen found himself grinning back.
Before the accident, he had actually been quite humorous. As long as he wasn’t in surgery or in front of strangers, he enjoyed laughing. It was only after becoming the Sorcerer Supreme that his humor became more guarded.
After all, he was still in his twenties, drove a Lamborghini, had striking looks and professional fame — of course he had an interest in attractive women. Lorien was no different. They were both men. Why pretend otherwise?
With plans set, Stephen perked up. He got to his feet, poured himself a glass of water, and let his gaze sweep over Lorien’s office — an award-winning space.
Despite its modest size, the room was filled with luxurious decorations, fine furniture, and rare collectibles. If everything were sold, it could easily fetch tens of millions of dollars.
Not that Lorien had bought any of it. They were all gifts from clients.
That alone showed just how much influence and reputation he had in the field of mental health. It was one of the reasons Stephen respected him — and why they had become friends.
So young, yet he had achieved what most could only dream of in a lifetime.
Ahem... much like himself.
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